Relocation to London – It’s The ‘Little Things’ You Need To Know – Part 3

We’ve dealt with the fact that as a woman you may very well be referred to as a ‘girl’ after your relocation to London. It’s a cultural phenomenon that you’ll have to accept if you’re going to fit in and settle down after your international relocation. Your London relocation agents can only help you with the physical parts of your relocation, but how you handle Londoners and life in London is going to be the biggest measure of your success.

You’re not always African-American after your relocation.

Racism and the use of racist epithets can be a touchy subject, but it is a ‘little thing’ that you should be aware of, especially if you are an American moving here. Racism exists in every country of the world, deciding what is considered racist speech is somewhat of a personal choice, but you may find that you hear words like “Asian”, “Black” or “White” to describe a person’s race. In the UK, if you use a word like “African-American”, or “African-Native-West-Indian-person-of-color” you are usually referring to a person’s country of origin, not their race. It may be less PC but people in London are quite happy to refer to a person’s race quite bluntly. It’s not a case of racism, but expedience.

If you’re used to the terribly PC world that has changed every word that has the ending of “woman” of “man”, you may be in for a bit of a shock after your relocation to London. Police women are called police women and the Chairman is called the Chairman if he is a man.

No one is suggesting that you change your personal figures of speech to suit your colleagues or friends, but having a good idea of what to expect is the best way to settle in to working life and community life in the city after your relocation.

Before you arrive you should make a list of the words that you may need to use that are different to your country of origin. This is for practical reasons as well as cultural. Screaming at the plumber that your faucet is leaking will not be understood. It’s a tap in England.

Just ‘little things’ that can make a huge difference after your international relocation.